Automatic air-lift-control system



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C. E. LENDAU ET AL. AUTOMATIC AIR LIFT CONTROL SYSTEM Filed March 14.1922! INVENTORS Charles 1'. Linda Edward J? Fran A TTORNEY.

Patented den. 1, W24.

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enemas r. LINDAU, or HURLEY, new MEXICO, Am) EDWARD J. FRANKLIN, or sawman our, UTAH.

AUTOMATIC AIR-LIFT-CONTROL SYSTEM.

Application filed march 14', 1922. Serial No. 543,741.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES I. LINDAU and EDWARD J. FRANKLIN, residing,respec-* tively, at Hurley, in the county of Grant and State of NewMexico, and at Salt Lake City, in the county of Salt Lake and State ofUtah, have invented a new and useful Automatic Air-Lift-Control System,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to means for controlling the supply of air toairlift apparatus so as to maintain the pressure and volume of airsupply required for effective operation of such apparatus. Thesubmergence at a well or wells operating by the air lift principlevaries from time to time and from well to well, requiring correspondingvariation in the pressure and volume demands in the compressor. The mainobject of the present invention is to provide for automatic control ofthe compressor means for this purpose. Vi e obtain such automaticcontrol by utilizing the submergence pressure (or the pressure due tosubmergence),

- provided with for controlling the operation of the compressor means,so as to control the volume of air supplied thereby.

The accompanying drawings illustrate em bodiments of our invention, andreferring thereto:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic elevation of an air lift system, provided withour control means.

Fig. 2 is a detail section of the control valve, the connection thereofbeing shown in elevation.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a form of control means in conneo ,ionwith electric motor drive for the compressor.

In Fig. 1, two air lift wells are shown at 1 and2; it being understoodthat the invention is applicable to one or more wells, although it hasspecial advantages as applied toaplurality of wells. Each of these wellsis supply pipe 3 for compressed air, said pipes leading to the footpieces of the respective wells or air lift columns and communicatingthrough an automatic valve 4 with a pipe 3 leading to a pressure line 5,connected to the compressor 6. The air supply line 3 for each well isconnected to pipe 7 communicating with a receiver 8, from which a pipe 9including a check valve kl) opening away from the receiver, leads to acontrol line 11 which is connected to con-' trol the operation of thecompressor. Another pipe 12 leads from each receiver 8 to a controllingcylinder 13 for the corresponding automatic valve 4. Each pipe line 3may also have a valve 17 for. manual control.

The automatic valve 4, included in the air supply line 3, is operated byconnection of its valve plug or sleeve 14 to a piston 15 working incylinder 13. Said valve tends to close position by operation of a weight16 connected to a lever 18,-which presses on the stem 19 of said valve,lever 18 being pivoted at 20 to a fixed support and its movement beinglimited by a stop screw 22, so as to limit the opening of the valveproviding for gradual variation of the supply of air therethrough. Anydesired form of valve may be used, for example, a sleeve valve as shown,the sleeve 14-working in a valve cylinder 23, having ports 24 adapted toregister with ports 25, in the sleeve 14 so as to provide for gradualopening and closing of the valve. Lever 18 may also have an adjustablecompensating spring control as indicated at 26.

Any suitable means may be used for controlling the operation of thecompressor by the pressure in control line 11. For example, said linemay lead to a cylinder 28 as shown in Fig. 1, operating a piston member29 which is connected to the usual governor means 30 for the compressorso as to effect an increase in speed of the compressor when the pressurein control line 11 increases. In Fig. 1, the governor 30 and pistonmember 29 are shown, for purpose of illustration, as operating athrottle valve 31 for the engine of the compressor, but it will beunderstood that in large installations where more efficient governoroperated means for controlling the compres or are in use, the pistonmeans 29 will be connected to control such governor operated means,acting in op position to the governor, and in such manner as to increasethe speed of the compressor on increase of pressure in the control line.In the case of electrically driven coi' pressors. the controllingpiston'means :1 cperated by the cylinder 28, connected to the controlha, 11, may as shown in Fig. 3, operate a resistance controlme'ans 33for controlling the operation of-the electric motor The operation of theair lift involves a cerincreases or decreases in any of tain submergenceof the air supply below the water level in the Well' and variations inthe water level result in variations in the submergence. As thesubmergeice pressure i he wells; a corresponding change in the irpressure takes place, and likewise the volume of air required,necessitating a change in the speed,

ravens-a that particular air lift. The operation is thus to put thecompressor under control of the air lift being the maximum submergenceand to maintain a pressure in the pressure line sufficiently high forsuch maximum submergence, and to reduce the pressure passing to eachindividual air lift according to the pressure requirements thereof; itbeing understood that if at any time the maximum subniergence shiftsfrom one well to another, the control of the compression will shiftcorrespondingly to such well, being for the time being themaximum-submergence.

The function-of the receiver is to steady the pressure under the pistonoperating the control valve. Without this storage in the receiver thevelocity of the air through the air line to the well is a hindrance tosensitive operation of the control valve if at any time of thecompressor and the volume. of air de i the well pulsates.

livered therefrom. Such variations in submergence pressure result incorresponding variations in the pressure in the pipes 7 and thereceivers 8 and control line 11 communicating therewith. Considering theoperation of a single well, the primary effect of increase of thepressure in line 11 is to effect operation of the governor or controlmeans for the compressor 6, to speed up the compressor and deliver moreair to the air lift, as required by the increase in submergence. Whenseveral wells are, supplied from a single pressure line, as shown, thecheck valves 10in the connections from the respective receivers to thecontrol line, operate oiily when the pressure in the receiver exceedsthat in the line, so that if any one of the receivers is at higherpressure than the others; the corresponding check .valve will openand'connect such receiver to the control line, and the check valves fortheother receivers will be closed, the effect of this being'toautomatically connect the control line to the well or air lifthaving-the highest submergence for-the time being, as the respectivereceiversare always in connection with the corresponding air lift pipeand are responsiveto the pressure therein.

i The control line being thus responsive to the pressure at the air lifthaving the maximum submergence, the compressor is controlled byoperation-of such control line soas to furnish the volume of airrequired to maintain the pressure in the service or pressure line,corresponding to such maximum submergence. The pressure of the air whichis' delivered to the individual air lifts is then controlled by theoperation of the automatic valve, which is operated responsively to thepressure in the corresponding re ceiver 8, by the cylinder and pistonmeans 13 and 15 and acts as a control valve, re-

ducing the pressure in the line leading to each air lift, so as to givethe proper pressure correspondingly to the submergence for What we claimis:

1. In combination with an air lift apparatus and a compressor connectedto supply compressed air tosuch apparatus, control means for saidcompressor responsive to the submergence pressure of said air liftapparatus andeadapted to automatically control the operation of thecompressor to increase the volume of air compressed thereby as thesubmergence increases.

2. An air lift control system comprising, in combination with acompressor, a pressure line supplied thereby and a plurality of airlifts connected to receive compressed air from said pressure line, meansfor controlling the operation of the compressor responsively to thesubmergence pressure at the air lift having maximum submergence, andmeans for controlling the supply of air from the pressure line to eachair ift responsively to the submergence pressure at such air lift.

"3. An air lift control system comprising, in combination with acompressor, a pressure line suppliedthereby and'a pluralit of air liftsconnected to receive compresse air from said pressure line control meansfor the compressor adapted to be operated by air pressure and having anoperating connection through a check valve with each airlift, so

as to control the operation of the-compressor roe responsively to-thesubmergence ressurc at] the air lift having maximum su mer 'ence,

and control means responsive to the su mer gence pressure at each airlift for'controlling I the supply of-a'ir to each air lift from 'tliejpressure ine; in correspondence with the submergence at such air lift.

4. In an air lift control system, the combi-v nation with anair liftapparatus andacOm 1' pressor' connected to supply air thereto, ofpressure operatedi'neans' connected to said air lift apparatus and resOHSlVQ'tO thesub f lll air delivered-thereby in correspondence withvariations in submergence pressure of said air lift apparatus.

5. An airI-lift control system comprising, in combination with aplurality of air lifts and a pressure line connected to supply air tosaid air lifts, an' automatic valve included in the connection from thepressure line to each air lift and controlling means for said valveadapted to be operated by pressure and connected tothe corresponding airlift so as to be responsive to the submergence pressure of said air liftand to gradually open or close the valve so as to gradually vary thesupply of air therethrough and (-Ontl'Ol the supply of air from thepressure line to the said air lift in correspondence with thesubmergence pressure thereof.

6. In combination With a plurality of air lifts and a pressure lineadapted to supply the same with compressed air, a valve included in theconnection from said pressure line to each air lift, pressure controlledmeans for operating each of said valves and adapted to gradually open orclose the valve so as to gradually vary the supply of the airtherethrough, a connection from each air lift in the pressure controlledmeans for operating the valve for said air lift to effect operation ofthe pressure controlled means and of the valve for said air .liftresponsively to the submergence pressure of said air lift.

7. A combination asset forth in claim 6 and comprising, in addition, areceiver connected to the connection from each air lift to thecorresponding pressure controlled means, for equalizing the operation.

8. In combination with a compressor, a pressure line' supplied thereby aplurality of air lifts, and connections from said pressure line to therespective air lifts, said connections including automatic valves, acontrol line having check valve connections to the respective air lifts,so as to be responsive to the pressure of the air lift having maximumsubmergenee pressure, control means operated by the pressure in saidcontr 1 line and adapted to control the operation of the compressorincorrespondence with the pressure in said control line, and control meansresponsive to the sulnnm'gence pressure of each air lift and adapted tocontrol the automatic valve for said air lift in correspondence with thevariations of submergence pressure of said air lift.

CHARLES I. LIN DAU. EDWARD J. FRANKLIN.

